Pickup trucks top list of most stolen vehicles

Thursday

Feb 14, 2008 at 12:01 AM

By Staff Reports

ARLINGTON - The Texas Department of Public Safety has released its final MVT19 report on the top vehicles reported stolen in Texas during 2007.

The MVT19 report is compiled monthly by DPS and represents vehicle theft data entered into the Texas Crime Information Center by all Texas law enforcement agencies. An error margin of + or - 5 percent is assumed for incorrect entries by agencies.

Based on the reports, pickup trucks top the list of thieves' most common targets for the year. Coming in at No. 1 was the Ford Pickup followed closely by the Chevrolet Pickup at No. 2.

In the No. 3 position, the Dodge Pickup also remains a popular target for Texas thieves. The Honda Accord and the Honda Civic round out the top five stolen vehicles.

The complete top 10 list of most stolen passenger vehicles includes:

1. Ford Pickup

2. Chevrolet Pickup

3. Dodge Pickup

4. Honda Accord

5. Honda Civic

6. Chevrolet Tahoe

7. GMC Pickup

8. Ford Taurus

9. Toyota Camry

10. Ford Mustang

DPS officials said vehicles are stolen for a variety of reasons, and contrary to popular belief, the most stolen vehicles are several years old. Some may be stolen and stripped for parts. Others may be stolen and resold by thieves to unsuspecting buyers.

Many vehicles are also stolen for joyriding, for use in committing other crimes, to perpetrate insurance fraud, or for other illegitimate purposes, DPS officials said. Vehicle theft costs Texans more money than any other crime - over $900 million in 2006.

"Auto thieves are looking for 'the easy take,'" said ABTPA Director Susan Sampson. "So it is more important than ever that drivers practice common sense and utilize practical prevention methods such as locking doors, taking keys, and hiding all items that may be desirable to a thief."